Cochin is a fast developing commercial and tourist destination. But the city has its own problems – traffic jams, garbage strewn over the place, open drains, potholes, narrow roads and so on. What is it that can be done to make it a much better place to live? This is exactly what CPPR wishes to find out under Reinventing Cochin project….the part played by the state and civil society

Monday, May 26, 2008

‘What’s the matter with Kochi?’ Good question. With all due respect, I’d say - Attitude! One can’t deny that people’s complacence has contributed to the majority of day-to-day problems we “Kochietes” face, but I think its time we stopped bemoaning it. Everyone complains that potholes are growing, the roads seem to get narrower and that the drainage system has literally flowed up to our doorsteps, but what has anyone done about it? It’s almost synonymous to our other hobby of putting up a token protest when even a hint of some new development springs up. You’ll immediately see a couple of people, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk, holding up a bunch of pluck-cards with something akin to a vague gripe scribbled on it. Do they know what it is that they’re protesting? Is it for the right reasons? And more importantly, is it a political propaganda or for themselves? I’m often tempted to ask them if they’re for hire!

And this unique ‘attitude-phenomenon’ doesn’t just end there. When the general populace faces a problem, they believe it to be another’s to rectify. They’ll talk about it on any platform you like, they’ll even yell from the rooftops, but they refuse to accept that they’re as much a stakeholder as the local government and municipalities. Where Residential Societies and Building Associations take great pride in putting up parties and organizing trips, they grow strangely silent when its time to bring about a petition to do something about that ‘hole in the ground’! But, they’d have complained to their neighbour about how difficult it is to take their cars around it…

I also refuse to accept the adage that “may be the youngsters can…” because its not just the youngsters who use the roads or the haphazard state transport… a joint, coordinated effort on the side of everyone involved would be a good beginning.